Lawmaker files trans athlete ban for colleges INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — LGBTQ+ rights advocates on Thursday said a proposed ban on transgender college athletes unnecessarily outs transgender players, putting them at risk. Legislation filed by Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, would ban anyone assigned male at birth from competing on women’s athletic teams at either state-run or private postsecondary institutions. Any out-of-state teams with transgender women on their roster would have to provide notice at least 60 days in advance to the coach, athletic director and to each individual athlete. Davis has written legislation targeting transgender people in each of the past two legislative sessions. She wrote Indiana’s ban on transgender girls in girls’ K-12 sports and a law requiring schools to notify a minor student’s parents of any requests by the student to change their names or pronouns. GenderNexus Executive Director Emma Vosicky said the notification requirement amounts to an invasion of privacy. “It’s like, for anybody else, putting your personal and private medical information out for the world to see,” Vosicky said. “Which also means that, because we’ve seen it already in other states, word then spreads out, people who want to heckle and call names and do all of those things will show up for sporting events.” The participation of transgender women in women’s sports has become a political lightning rod, with Republicans including President-elect Donald Trump attacking their participation as part of their 2024 campaigns. Opponents of transgender women’s participation in women’s sports have pointed to potential physical advantages conferred by going through male puberty, such as greater muscle mass. Scientific studies of transgender athletes are scarce and have yet to establish a pattern to suggest any advantages or lack thereof. A 2021 study by Swedish researchers found transgender women lost only about 5% of muscle mass and strength after one year of testosterone suppression treatment. However, a 2023 study of both transgender and cisgender male and female athletes published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggested transgender women have decreased lung function compared to cisgender women. Bill Bock, lead counsel for the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and the lead attorney for two lawsuits, including that of Riley Gaines against the NCAA, said similar legislation is in the works in several states. He said college athletics have to have a clear, consistent set of rules based on biology. He said it’s not possible for sanctioning bodies such as the NCAA to evaluate transgender athletes on a case-by-case basis. “Sport rules are based on objective criteria and the effort to change rules based on somebody’s subjective identity is not fair to women,” Bock said. “Who, for decades, have had their own categories in sport. And because of male performance advantage, those women should not be disadvantaged.” Bock said studies such as the aforementioned Swedish study are evidence enough of a continuing advantage even after consistent gender-affirming care. He said Davis’ bill doesn’t stigmatize transgender people because it’s based on biology. “One of the great aspects of this legislation, in terms of protecting women, is what it does to try to secure the rights of fair competition and opportunity for women in college sports,” Bock said. Bock said Davis has not spoken with his organization about her bill but he is ready to help as it moves through the legislature. Vosicky said Davis’ bill layers a patchwork of regulations on top of the NCAA’s existing transgender athlete rules and forces even small, private colleges to hire attorneys to help them navigate Indiana’s laws. She said for collegiate as well as K-12 sports, very few athletes will ultimately go pro and the real benefit comes from the exercise and the social attainment sports bring. “To those parents who have these concerns, then my message is, let’s have a conversation and come to an understanding of what it actually means to be transgender,” Vosicky said. “That there have been transgender students playing in California for well over a decade and there’s no statistical evidence of advantage.” News 8 asked Davis for an interview about her bill. Her office said she was unavailable and instead sent a statement. “While males and females are equal in worth, biological differences undeniably affect athletic performance. To ensure a level playing field, it’s important that girls compete against girls, and boys against boys.”Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland The legislative session begins on Wednesday.